Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Den Helder

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,036 in Den Helder, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Den Helder
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Den Helder Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Den Helder

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Den Helder

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Den Helder actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,036 in Den Helder, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Den Helder $2,036

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,065 in Den Helder, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Den Helder $3,065

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,094 in Den Helder, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Den Helder $4,094

Playa del Carmen is about 41% cheaper than Den Helder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Den Helder is 51% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$19.51 €17.46

-45.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$52.3 €46.78

-16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$8.20 €7.34

43.78%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$3.72 €3.33

1.88%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.26

$3.05 €2.73

-57.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$2.98 €2.67

-72.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$5.18 €4.63

-39.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$5.13 €4.59

-3.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.14 €1.02

23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$1.28 €1.14

71.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$0.85 €0.76

72.94%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$4.13 €3.70

-39.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$9.82 €8.78

-25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$14.46 €12.94

-45.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$15.99 €14.31

-19.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$2.72 €2.44

6.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.96 €1.75

-29.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.25 €1.12

99.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$4.21 €3.76

-51.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.42 €1.27

42.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.05 €0.94

80.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$1.01 €0.90

12.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$0.76 €0.68

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$13.47 €12.05

-68.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$7.20 €6.44

36.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.32 €1.19

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$2.57 €2.30

7.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$9.65 €8.64

-94.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$155 €139

-82.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$3.95 €3.54

20.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$3.23 €2.89

0.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$37.42 €33.48

-85.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$2.38 €2.13

-35.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$41.2K €36.8K

-48.49%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$40.0K €35.8K

-41.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.5 MX$1,562

$203 €182

-58.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.19 MX$434

$15.46 €13.83

50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$20.27 €18.14

36.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$24.05 €21.52

134.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$19.46 €17.41

44.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$14.32 €12.82

-65.08%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,873

$2,843 €2,544

-92.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$6,144 €5,498

-14.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$114 €102

-61.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$47.77 €42.75

-10.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$117 €105

-37.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$137 €122

-35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$879 €787

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$767 €687

-50.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$1,810 €1,620

-7.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$1,319 €1,180

-18.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$2,895 €2,590

35.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$2,466 €2,206

-66.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.8

308.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Den Helder: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Den Helder

$767 37.7% 101% $385

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Den Helder

$291 14.3% 13% $34

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Den Helder

$286 14% 42.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Den Helder

$239 11.7% 77.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Den Helder

$187 9.2% 67.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Den Helder

$53 2.6% 20.7% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Den Helder

$214 10.5% 324% $163

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $879 in Den Helder. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Den Helder are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $52 in Den Helder. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $291 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇱 Den Helder

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

17:04 5:04 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

56,296

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Den Helder 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Den Helder

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Den Helder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Den Helder is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,054 in Den Helder. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Den Helder, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $879 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $52 in Den Helder. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,036 in Den Helder. That makes Playa del Carmen about 41% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Den Helder at $2,036. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Den Helder it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,036 in Den Helder. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Den Helder makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.